ABOUT POVELTY

PoVelty began developing software in 1985. What started with programming languages such as COBOL and GW-BASIC gradually grew into a versatile business where technology, creativity and innovative ideas come together.
Over the years, we have been involved in software development, websites, internet services, innovative projects and product development. Not because we constantly wanted to do something different, but because new possibilities continually brought new ideas.
 
Simplicity has always been one of our guiding principles.
An application does not have to be complicated to work well. Quite the opposite. We believe that simplicity, clarity and reliability form the foundation of a good product.
That is why we prefer to develop our applications ourselves. From WCMplus, our own content management system, to EasyELO, an electronic learning environment designed with ease of use in mind.
Alongside technology, the written word has also found its place within PoVelty. Since 2011, we have been active as a publisher, initially with our own magazine, Het Groene Varen, and later with publications including the Het Animal House book series.
In 2020, our project and product development activities were brought together under The Dutch Innovators. This created opportunities to continue developing new ideas together with the next generation.
What has never changed throughout all these years is the way we look at the world.
We look at what people need, listen to what they have to say and try to understand what drives them.
Because to us, technology is not an end in itself. It is a means of turning ideas into reality.
 
See. Hear. Feel.
That was our thinking. That is our philosophy.
And it is what keeps us looking ahead.

How PoVelty Got Its Name

The name PoVelty was created in 1985 by combining the surnames Ponte and Veltman, with an extra 'y' added at the end. Not because it had any deeper meaning, but simply because it sounded right.
At the time, I regularly experimented with software and ideas alongside 'Sjekje', although his contribution to the actual programming was rather limited. He mainly came round for coffee, brought biscuits with him and occasionally made a remark that wasn't always entirely clear.
But those very remarks sometimes gave me something to think about, and occasionally inspired me to turn an idea into something, just for the fun of it.
The actual programming and business activities were always my own responsibility. Our shared adventures were mainly about experimenting with ideas and creating text adventure games, the last of which we developed in 1993.
And that is how a business founded in 1985 acquired a name that, despite all the changes over the years, has never disappeared.
 
PoVelty. A name with a history, born without an elaborate business plan.